Tuesday 28 May 2019

#BookReview Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg

Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor by Rebecca Rosenberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One look at Baby Doe and you know she was meant to be a legend! She was just twenty years old when she came to Colorado to work a gold mine with her new husband. Little did she expect that she’d be abandoned and pregnant and left to manage the gold mine alone. But that didn’t stop her!

She moved to Leadville and fell in love with a married prospector, twice her age. Horace Tabor struck the biggest silver vein in history, divorced his wife and married Baby Doe. Though his new wife was known for her beauty, her fashion, and even her philanthropy, she was never welcomed in polite society.

Discover how the Tabors navigated the worlds of wealth, power, politics, and scandal in the wild days of western mining.

**********

At the end of 2017 did I read the fantastic The Secret Life of Mrs. London by Rebecca Rosenberg. I recommend the book warmly btw. So, I was really looking forward to reading Gold Digger, The Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor. Now, I had never heard of Baby Doe Tabor before I read the book and that made this book extra interesting to read. I always like to learn more about real people.

Rebecca Rosenberg is a fabulous writer and I enjoyed getting a view into the often dangerous life of miners. Baby Doe or Elizabeth McCourt Tabor that was her real name married Harvey Doe. This was not a love match, she needed a husband with money to help her family. Together they traveled to Colorado to work in a gold mine that belonged to Doe's family. To say that they lived a happily married life is an exaggeration. Love would come later, with a totally different man. A man who would leave his wife for Baby Doe. Horace Tabor a mining millionaire.

Now, I don't want to give away too much of the story. I purposely didn't check up Baby Doe in Wikipedia while reading the book because I don't want to read anything that would spoiler the book. It's much more fun that way. Now, I found this book just didn't click with me the same way The Secret Life of Mrs. London. And, I guess it all boils down to the fact that I found Baby Doe's life just not as interesting as Mrs. Londons. I found in the end that what I did like the most was the small cameos by Doc Holliday and Oscar Wilde. As for Horace Tabor, he was just not a man that intrigued me, a self-made millionaire who had a tendency to risk a bit too much. For some reason, he just didn't fascinate me.

Now, the book is absolutely read worthy. My problem was more the subject then the writing. And, when you fail to connect with characters or/and the story, then it's hard to enjoy a book, despite the writing. However, if this book seems to be just your thing, then I say, go for it!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

1 comment:

  1. i love that you didn't peek into Wikipedia and waited for whatever the book had to share.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete